Sunday, October 1, 2017

Alexis Sanchez scored a
stunning goal as Arsenal came from behind to beat Cologne in a Europa League
match delayed for an hour following crowd trouble.Chilean Sanchez, who nearly
left the club to join Manchester City on transfer deadline day, picked the ball
up outside the area and curled a shot past keeper Timo Horn. ~ what is so
interesting in that ! – it was a league match, one tends to ask – but for
Europe, it was akin to a war .. ..

The
month-long limited-overs campaign that Australia undertakes in India from 17th
Sept 2017 starting with the encounter at Chepauk stadium, is likely to be among the last of its ilk if
ambitions for a global ODI league table, already in advanced planning, are
brought to fruition. The reigning World Cup champions has arrivbed India to begin a series of five ODIs and three T20
Internationals against India, a schedule that will be largely replicated in the
UK next June when Australia tackles England in five ODIs and a 20-over fixture.

Australian
Cricket recently launched its next
five-year strategy, which provides direction for the sport around the country.
Among the key themes are a focus on women and girls, grassroots and junior
cricket, and growth in the Big Bash Leagues. The new strategy has been devised
after more than 12 months’ consultation with all parts of cricket, from
volunteers and club members through to players and administrators. The strategy
applies to Cricket Australia and all eight State and Territory cricket
associations. The chief executive officer of Cricket Australia, James Sutherland,
said the combined organisations had set out to make the strategy the most
inclusive ever in Australian sport. “More than 8000 people across cricket have
been involved in the preparation of this strategy, and they in turn have
represented the millions of Australians who watch and play the game.

Back home,
the news for Indian fan is - : Shikhar Dhawan will not play the first three
ODIs against Australia. A press release from the BCCI said the India batsman
has asked for leave to take care of his wife, who has taken ill. The selectors
have decided not to name a replacement for Dhawan, with back-up openers KL
Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane already in 16-man squad. India do have to contend with
losing a player in excellent form though. He had missed the ODIs against New
Zealand in 2016 - and played only two of three against England that followed -
but since his return to the top of the order in the Champions Trophy, he has
made two centuries and four fifties in 14 innings. Dhawan had to miss the final
ODI and the only T20 in the Sri Lanka tour earlier this month to fly back home
to attend to his mother who had been unwell.

Away in London, unprecedented
violence inside and outside the Emirates Stadium between Arsenal and FC Koln
fans nearly saw their Europa League game cancelled… .. Up to 3,000 away tickets were sold but an
estimated 20,000 German fans descended upon the Emirates ahead of kick-off.
This led to congestion and clashes with police, stewards and Arsenal fans
before the game.The match was postponed for an hour, starting instead at
9.05pm, and only a late decision determined that it would go ahead at all.
Arsenal, the Metropolitan Police and Uefa decided that the “best and safest”
option was to play the game, given the difficulty of dispersing tens of
thousands of German fans, and the likely trouble that would cause.

Thousands of Koln fans had
initially bought tickets for the game in the sections designated for Arsenal
fans. Many of them were seen disguising themselves as Arsenal fans for the
occasion. Stewards trying to identify German from English fans led to mass
blockages at the gates, which in turn caused crowds to swell outside,
predominantly on the Drayton Park side of the stadium. Some of these fans tried
to push through barriers and gates to get in, sparking clashes outside. The
Metropolitan Police were forced to deploy more police officers beyond their
initial 110 given the scale of the violence. The police said in a statement:
“Officers are dealing with disorder at the Emirates Stadium where fans have
gathered for the Arsenal vs FC Koln match.

When the Koln fans
eventually started to pour into the ground, many started to move towards the
designated away end in the south-east corner of the ground. As they tried to
clamber over the barriers between the away and home sections in the Clock End,
there were further clashes with security staff. Arsenal would have felt playing
away from home in an alien atmosphere with so much support for their opponents
at their home – but the match — finished 3-1 in Arsenal's favour — featuring two very peachy goals that were worth the
wait. Arsenal face London rivals and Premier League champions Chelsea on Sunday
(kick-off 13:30 BST), while Cologne will look to pick up their first points in
the Bundesliga when they travel to Borussia Dortmund on the same day (kick-off
17:00 BST).

This
was Arsenal's first European match outside of the Champions
League (including qualifiers) since May 2000 - 17 years and 120 days ago. Cologne
lost a competitive game that they were winning at half-time for the first time
since December 2014 (1-2 v Augsburg). Chelsea
took to a much more unorthodox method to their preparations for their clash
with Arsenal, as giant blue yoga balls were seen flying across their Cobham
training ground. The Blues ran out 6-0 victors at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday
night and face another crucial clash at the Bridge with Arsenal on Sunday.